Filed to story: The Chosen Saga Novel PDF Free
“Don’t I have the right to be upset?”
“Of course, but you haven’t taken even taken a second to ask about how we are doing. You have barely noticed that we are losing Mac. That we are all struggling with the loss of our own mate. All you do is talk down to us, treat us like shit, and get annoyed when we ask you to help us.”
“I just lost my mate.”
“So did we. Yours has gone behind the veil, but you had time together. We had thousands of cycles waiting for Araiya and within one day she had died, come back, and gone missing. Our brother is burning away before our very eyes, and you just wallow. Your dragon has moved past the pain, because he’s not hurt. She wasn’t his mate, she was yours. You picked her.” River patted his shoulder. “It may be callous to say, but we are dragons, brother. We are made to protect, and fight. Our brother is dying next to you, our mate is missing, and we still have to hold it together to fight back the darkness. Instead of helping, you whine about having to search your lands. Lands you should know inside and out after growing up there. A task that should take nothing for you to complete, but you took your time because you just don’t care about how anyone other than you is feeling. You complain about having to speak to your elemental. Is that not enough to piss someone off? Take Araiya out of the mix. We have to find a girl to save our brother’s life and you couldn’t be bothered to help. Can you not at least understand why he is so angry?” A loud bang filtered through the forest.
“I…”
“HELP!” Terran called from the forest. Both men jumped to their feet. “River. I need you.” River and Talon ran toward the panicked voice of their friend. “RIVER!” Terran called one last time before they caught his scent and followed it to another clearing. Trees were broken in two and debris laid over the ground. There in the center was a crater that Terran was kneeling in.
The two men jumped down to see what happened, and there, they saw Terran holding Mac. “What the fuck happened?” River climbed over a tree to get to the two men.
“I was sitting here to cool off from snapping at Talon and saw Mac flying in. He looked like he was in bad shape but as soon as he saw me, his wings gave out. He fell from above the tree line and shifted back as soon as he hit.” River tried to push him out of the way. “Wait. I am holding in his stomach. What ever happened to him was bad. He was gutted.”
“Okay. Talon, come help roll him so I can see to his injuries. Hold him down. This won’t feel good. His body is already overwhelmed by the extra power. Shield if you can, he will most definitely have to release pressure as I do this. I have to go in heavy and fast to heal this much damage.” Both men nodded and Talon held Mac down while Terran held his hands over his stomach. “Ready? One, two, three.”
River shoved his power into Mac so hard his body lifted from the ground from the over flow. His eyes flew open and the scream that left his lips would haunt the others for years to come. River kept pouring power into the man. His screams became more and more violent until finally, his stomach healed, and he erupted. Fire slammed into the three men trying to help, tossing them into the air. The fire rose to heights that could be seen miles away. Talon threw up a shield of air to contain the blast, so the rest of the forest didn’t catch, while River put out the fires that had already started. Terran coaxed life back into the burned plants and healed away the damage while he watched as his brother burned.
They all watched on as Mac burned
“Hello McKenna. Welcome to the in-between.”
Mac turned toward the voice. The Goddess-for it could only be the Goddess who looked down on him-stood next an old, dead tree. Mac slowly climbed up to her perch that watched over the land below. The ancient tree overlooked a forest covered in mist. The Goddess patiently waited for Mac to join her before turning back and looking over the forest below.
“Goddess. Am I dead then?”
“Why do you think you’re dead?”
“We have been betrayed. I was attacked and mortally wounded. I just wanted to warn the others, but I don’t think I made it to them. I couldn’t see anymore. I think my eyes had finally swollen shut completely. I was relying on scent alone. I thought I had caught up to Terran, but then nothing. I woke up here with you.”
“And?”
“And now my brothers will fall to the same betrayal I did. Araiya…”
“Did she betray you?”
“No.”
“Did you betray her?”
“No,” Mac tried to continue but the Goddess cut him off.
“Did you not steal my Chosen’s power? Did you not betray her? Take her power and kill her? So, if you have her power, why do you think you are here in the in-between?”
“I didn’t mean…” But the Goddess cut him off again by raising her hand. “Araiya told River when she died, she was given the option to pass beyond the veil or go back.”
“True, do you know why else she came here, Fire?”
“No, I didn’t get to know her.”
“No that is true, you attacked first.” The Goddess slowly walked toward Mac. “Well, my Chosen was pulled here to talk with me. Of course, with her power she was given a choice, but I pulled her here because she needed some advice. McKenna, you my darling boy, need some serious advice, and I figured it was time we had a chat.”
Mac stood there, dumbfounded. “Okay.”
“First things first, while I do not find the behaviour becoming of the Enforcers of my Dracoy, I do understand you in your grief. You had just lost your mother, so your head was not clear.”
“Is she with my father?” Mac walked closer to the Goddess. “Is she finally happy?”
“Look for yourself.” The Goddess gestured toward the forest below and there, at the edge, stood two forms. Both burning brightly. Each waved to their son and then they embraced. The two figures, the father and mother of the element Fire, stood on the edge of the veil and looked over at their child, their son, one last time in the flesh. The breeze shifted and Mac felt the warm embrace of love his parents sent his way.
I see you are as foolish as I when I first met your mother, my son.
Father?
I have missed you these years, McKenna, but I am so proud of the man you have become. You need to be strong for your clutch, for your children.